Who You Are And Who You Could Be
by cooliochick5
Summary: "Owning a tea shop has been one of my greater achievements since I had last been in Ba Sing Se. The people here are so delightful, I find it far more rewarding to serve them rather than to fight them." Iroh reflects on the changes occurring in his life while living in Ba Sing Se.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello, Avatar fandom! It's been awhile, hm? Well, I usually like to start my reign of fanfictions with a bit of angst and didn't anticipate the break I took right after. So after a revisit to the show, I decided to continue! Now, this fic is a bit more light hearted than the last one I wrote (a lot more light hearted actually) however, there will be a few chapters that cover heavier topics, but no matter. Lets dive right in, hm?**_

 _ **Disclaimers: I own nothing.**_

 _ **Iroh's P.O.V:**_

Owning a tea shop has been one of my greater achievements since I had last been in Ba Sing Se. The people here are so delightful, I find it far more rewarding to serve them rather than to fight them. The people that enter my shop are all so interesting and I am more than happy to hear a story from those who enter, if time permitted for me to hear them.

I have seen many new faces since I opened the Jasmine Dragon; however, those new faces quickly become old as they return regularly. Each person has their own story of their life in Ba Sing Se, some good and some bad, but unique none the less. I hear stories from people older than me to people younger than my nephew; it is one of life's greatest gifts, to share one's own experiences over some tea.

A woman, a few years younger than me, likes to come in during the afternoon just after she leaves work. She sits by the window, glancing up and down the street. She has told me her husband had been sent away to fight in the war efforts many years ago before she had come to Ba Sing Se; she believes that one day he will return, though she is unsure which side of the street he will be walking up when he does. I tell her that I hope that when he does return, they share many years of happiness together. She orders no tea, but that is okay, I prefer she have somewhere nice to sit and wait.

A young man, far younger than my nephew, finds his way into the shop every once in awhile, whenever his mother provides him with enough of a allowance to actually purchase anything. Every day he comes in, he's wearing his brother's straw hat, taking it off and chewing the edges while he waits for his tea. His brother has been gone many years, though he has yet to tell me where he has gone. I see him sometimes stop at the door to talk with my nephew and occasionally, he will stop and sit on the floor while Zuko circles the shop, checking on the s. The child will sometimes talk extensively about what he and his friends had done that week and other times, he will sit silently on the floor as Zuko works, waiting until he took a break to ask if he had time to play a game with him. If he wasn't too busy, Zuko would go with the child, who I heard recently would be starting school after the summer.

I had the joy of witnessing a reunion between a father and his child here. The father would regularly visit the shop had spoke of the child, recounting many tales of their time together until his son had left at the age of sixteen, for reasons the father himself was not quite sure of. That had been thirteen years ago and the reunion could not have been more wonderful; there were hugs, laughter, even a few tears, and the overwhelming sense that, though I did not personally know these people, I was involved in such a special moment in their lives.

I find myself thinking of my own son as I watch the reunion, though; the burden of losing a child is one I understand entirely...I had lost my own son to the walls of Ba Sing Se, though I feel as though I have gained another; One old face had become new during my time here, though the change was one for the better. I remember looking at my dear nephew before we had even made it to Ba Sing Se, he was in no way interested to be here, but I knew it would help him greatly. The first time I had ever seen him more happy was when he was here in the shop, rather than back home in the palace. He was a lot more at ease than he ever had been. When he entered my shop on the first day, I did not see the face of a lost prince, rather, I saw a young man who had found hope in this new city.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Since these were short, I decided to post them together, enjoy!**_

Of all the things that have changed during our travels, I am glad that a few things have not. Our homes have not been one of the things that had stayed the same, though I've grown quite fond of this one; never did I think I would ever feel quite at home in Ba Sing Se as I do this moment, sitting at the table beside the window of our apartment, overlooking the side of the home next to ours. Ba Sing Se truely is a beautiful place and as I sit here, reflecting on how awful the paint on the house I am looking at is, I feel a guilty for trying to claim this place for the Fire Nation.

'The paint job on some of these houses may have been better though,' I briefly consider, though a sudden chill does not allow me to continue on that thought; it had been rather cold in the spring time and whatever warmth Ba Sing Se did get to enjoy was done during the day when the sun shone high. However, it had been raining all day today, never allowing for any hint of the sun, making the day quite cold as far as spring went.

I would have lit a fire had my next move not been to go to bed; I never did feel comfortable about leaving a fire unattended, even if it was set up in a fire place. No matter, though, I wouldn't notice the cold if I were asleep; I was merely assuming it was late, as the clouds had made it difficult to tell night from day; It was most likely why Zuko had gone to bed so early (I think it was early, at least), regardless, I still get up to check on him before I turn in for the night. I find that the chill of the night has already settled into my bones,making standing a bit more difficult than it usually was.

Once I am upright, I begin to make my way to my young nephew's room; had he been awake, he would have made sure to barricade the door as he has been taking less time to clean his room lately. Any other time, I would have said something about it, but tonight, I decide not to wake him. Had I known it would get so cold tonight, I would have left another blanket for him, though he does not seem, in the least bit, bothered by it. I can't help but feel the need to place another blanket on him, however; though I remember the only extra one had been outside drying...that is, until this unsuspected rain hit.

I know I have told Zuko before, but ever since losing Lu Ten what feels to me as though it were only yesterday, I have begun to see my nephew as my own. He knows this, I'm certain. Its for this reason that I head to my own room and pull the blanket from my bed.

I'd much rather stay up a few extra hours making sure the fire did not burn the apartment down than have a blanket anyway.

* * *

"Prince Zuko, it is really not that difficult of a task." I watch in slight agony from my seat beside the table as yet another attempt has been failed by my young nephew.

"I'm never going to get this right, Uncle." He has long since resorted to scowling to prevent any sudden outburst of anger. I don't blame him; this process is almost mind-bogglingly easy, and yet, so few could truly master it; sadly, my nephew seems to be one of those people. I rise from my chair, joining the boy across the room.

"Zuko, just pour the water over the tea leaves. It is really that simple." I can hardly contain my own amusement as Zuko stares at me with a look of pure anguish; for the given reason, it is actually quite funny.

"Well, yeah, duh," Zuko glares, turning back to the tea kettle, "It never turns out right, though!"

"The art of making tea takes time. You must let the-"

"Why are you showing me how to do this anyway? Can't you just do it!" My nephew shoves the kettle back toward me, but I set it back on the fire.

"If I do it for you, you will never learn," I sit back in my chair, reaching for more tea leaves to prepare for the next mishap and/or miracle, "I will not always be around to make tea for you, Prince Zuko, and I would feel better know that the art of tea-making is still in the family." I know the topic of my not being around is not one the young prince before me likes to hear much about, but its a sad reality he must learn to face. I know my words upset him slightly as he has turned back to the kettle, the anger in his face lost,

"Fine...can you show me how to do it again?" He looks back up at me and I smile,

"Just as long as you never make a cup like the one you just did ever again."

"Oh, come on, Uncle! It wasn't that bad!"


End file.
